“That’s your brother?!”

I’ve lost count of the number of times friends and co-workers tried to argue with me that Keith Savage is not my brother. Sure, we don’t look much alike and our styles are remarkably different. But our common Savage blood has produced some incredible similarities.

Keith Savage is an athletic trainer at the University of La Verne in La Verne, California. When he is not serving athletes or teaching students, he is an incredible photographer specializing in wedding, lifestyle and nature photography. His work has been featured in national publications, fashion catalogues and leading wedding websites. He loves to travel and would much rather spend a weekend in the middle of nowhere than the middle of a city.

As much as I love Keith’s photography, I might love his Instagram captions even more. I’m so excited to share this recent conversation we had with you.

Keith Savage on Fear

Scott: Have you struggled with fear in your life/work? If so, what does the voice of fear sound like in your head?

Keith: I have faced fear in my career as anyone I think has. In applying for jobs, interviewing, making decisions that you know your bosses might not like, or even just hoping I do a good job for people depending on me. That voice of fear is usually one of failure. Of not wanting to fail for myself or fail for others.

Keith on Inspiration

Scott: What moves and inspires you and your work?

Keith: In my artistic work what inspires me is usually whatever society is not telling me. I find inspiration in a way that I think many artists in many of the arts do. They have experienced the world around them and comment on that by many times trying to show something opposite of that. For me, I see images in society all the time that are perfect and make life seem completely ideal. I like seeing images that are not perfect and do not present life perfectly. That have some grittiness and realness and emotion to them.

[Tweet “I like seeing images that are not perfect…That have some grittiness. -Keith Savage”]

Scott: If someone follows you on Instagram, they’d think you’re just an amazing photographer. But your day job is athletic training. How do you make life work with two very different selves?

Keith: For me I don’t see my job and my artistic pursuits as two different selves. They are parts of me that make up the whole.

Keith Savage on the Power of Work

Scott: You write a lot about your passion for your work and how you live to work, instead of living for the weekend. Why is that an important message for you?

Keith: It’s an important message to me because I think too many people spend their life doing jobs they hate and live for 2/7th of their life. I see that as a waste. That working is a key part of life and should be approached with a passion and spirit that it is cherished as much as weekends.

[Tweet “I think too many people spend their life doing jobs they hate and live for 2/7th of their life.”]

Scott: We talk a lot about courage on this site. Has courage ever kept you from something in the past?

Keith: Not having the courage to do something has obviously probably kept me from making certain decisions in my life as I think it would anyone. I see courage being more of a factor for me in the big moves in life of moving, changing jobs, and similar moments. However, I am glad and ok with where I am having not taken those roads. So I think fear is sometimes a healthy thing that keeps us from doing things because they are not the best choice. So fear cannot be painted as always negative. It is a survival instinct. Sometimes it needs to be ignored, sometimes it is the voice of reason.

[Tweet “”Fear cannot be painted as always negative. It is a survival instinct.””]

Scott: If someone is reading this post and they’re battling fear, what would you say to them?

Keith: I would tell them they are not alone. I would tell them that fear is a part of life. It cannot be avoided and shouldn’t be avoided. Fear is something to listen to and understand and decide when it is protecting you and when it is holding you back.

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Keith! I’m so grateful that you’re my brother! Your work moves and inspires me.

If you want to follow Keith’s photography, check out his website or follow him on Tumblr. He’s a great follow on Instagram (@keithasavage) where he posts digital images of his photos, mostly shot on film.

[bluebox] If you enjoyed this interview, then check out other interviews in the Overcoming Fear series. For ideas about how you can overcome fear, check out my popular list of fear-fighting tactics. [/bluebox]